Reviews by shamrockbear

shamrockbear says "Reliable Great Residential Painting Contractor" about Painting Pros - www.yournewpaint.com Sherwin Williams - Benjamin Moore - Behr

shamrockbear — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 00:04:02 GMT

Excellent service. Actually Painting Pros www.yournewpaint.com has surpassed what I consider excellent. They were very experienced, knowledgeable, professional, prompt and CLEAN. My neighbor has used them and can not stop thanking me for giving them their phone number. If your looking for quality residential painters in the Chicago area, they are the painting contractors you should use!...

shamrockbear says "Olevia decent tv but major brands have gotten cheaper" about Syntax - Olevia 537H Television

shamrockbear — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 09:18:51 GMT

First some of the good. Bright picture, good quality, and decent sound quality. I love the HDMI inputs for DVD and plenty of extra inputs. The dislikes, if you own Satellite unless you have an HD dish, I only get 480 or 720 picture quality, the TV is capable of 1080i so DVDs look fantastic. My biggest complaint is that it makes the images stretch out making everyone look fat not sure if its also the odd screen size 37inches. I have tried every possible option to change this but no dice even called Olevia. I have heard this to be a big complaint with most TVs plasma or LCD because Direct TV and other satellites do not broadcast in HD unless you have the HD setup. Overall, at the time I bought it about 1 year ago it was a great deal at $800 but now I have minor buyers remorse, I think Sony and other name brands for and extra $200 or so now you can get a better TV and larger size. Olevia was a great deal at the time but since all the major brands have come down...

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shamrockbear says "CROCS SCUTES SANDALS FOR MEN ROCK" about Crocs - Scutes

shamrockbear — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 08:47:23 GMT

I just love these sandals. First of all I'm not really a sandal guy but in the summer you need a pair with shorts. I dont do black socks and shorts! These are the best shoes I have ever owned, they are comfortable, washable and durable. I have had them for a year. They are so comfortable you dont want to take them off. If they get sand just rinse with water if they get dirty just get some antibacterial soap and wash I really reccomend these. I got mine at the mall but you can order them online for $30. You will be thanking me for a pair of sandals that are nice.

scutes around the house or after the game, the crocs™ scutes will be one of your favorites!
- slip-resistant and non-marking soles
- anti-microbial and odor resistant
- made with croslite™ material
- ventilation holes accommodate jibbitz™ brand charms

My name is George I work, eat and play in Chicago.......

shamrockbear says "AVERAGE PLACE ARMENIAN FOOD BUT THEIR IS BETTER" about Sayat Nova East Armenian - Chicago, IL

shamrockbear — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 16:21:44 GMT

Hello everybody!

Its been a while. First I like to say hello to all my fans out there...lol all 1 of you!

I tried a new restaurant recommended on a TV show called Sayat Nova Armenian food, which is very close to persian food barely different. I was just not impressed. First, parking is not good you will have to valet somewhere or pay for a garage parking unless you want to get towed by the city. Make sure you know where it is because it has a very non-descript front location. The inside was nice and cozy they had round tables and the decor was decent (dim lighting) very romantic but I must be getting old I started to fall a sleep after a drink. The cost for 2 people without drinks was about $50 and the portions were not very large at all (I thought not worth the value). Additionally, they had only 1 waiter for the entire restaurant, that just ridicoulous 1 person, the wait between the appetizer and dinner was over 45 minutes! And dinner took almost 1 1/2 hour. I tried a sampler......

shamrockbear says "Big Bowl (Many locations) Great Asian Food Good prices" about Big Bowl (Many locations) - Chicago, IL

shamrockbear — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 23:08:24 GMT

This is another Lettuce entertain you restaraunt. This what you would consider a big box Asian type retaurant with more than one location I have been to a few and they have consistent food at all the locations. I love the decor looks good makes you feel like your in a interesting asian restaurant. You can go and make your own stir fry but never have. I have had kung pao chicken chicken, blackened chilies, roasted peanuts, sweet spicy sauce ------lemon chicken crispy golden chicken, fresh lemon, ginger, red pepper ------chicken with seasonal vegetables chicken sautéed with seasonal, local produce crispy orange chicken ----golden chicken, ginger, scallions, red pepper, fresh sweet and sour citrus sauce thai hot pepper chicken with basil & peanuts chinese egg noodles, chicken, fresh chili peppers, chopped peanuts, red onions, hot sauce.

These were all excellent dishes see site for more info they are interesting flavors mixed together lemon chicken with real lemon tasted great. ...

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shamrockbear says "Fresh all you can eat sushi best in Chicago" about House of Sushi & Noodle - Chicago, IL

shamrockbear — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 18:51:16 GMT

Hours and info at the bottom.

First let me start by saying WOW I have started a frenzy with this place. I introduced the place to a few people and they all go back like its a drug. I have tried many sushi places of the years a love it but the problem is always cost! The cost of sushi for the regular budget dinner has been a problem. The House of Sushi and Noodle has solved the problem. They have an all you can eat Maki roll menu to die for! The cost for 2 buffets and tip $35 thats it!

Appearance of the place is very casual almost shabby chic for college crowd which it gets a lot of. Its narrow, and poloraids of people who have eaten there on the wall (which is fun to judge, if the girl and guy go together, I do it all the time), so jeans and a t-shirt are okay. They do offer alcohol Beer and Sake they used to be BYOB so check first for that.

They do offer box specials if you want other items besides sushi and platters for combination of sushi at just dirt cheap...

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shamrockbear says "Joyce Ford Fantastic Ford Dealer" about Joyce Ford Car Dealer - Chicago, IL

shamrockbear — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 08:33:07 GMT

Joyce Ford made me very happy new car owner (Ford Edge). First, Joyce Ford is one of the very few woman owned dealers. Secondly, since I'm a guy that didn't bother me one bit saving me a ton of money. If you want to purchase a new car this is the place to go. The selection of cars on the lot could be better. With that said, they can get any car that you want, they do dealer trades which means they search all of Ford's inventory and find the car you want and can get it same day usually. They don't play games at all period! No pressure sales and very honest. They gave us the car at dealer's invoice price with out us even asking which included more options than we wanted (found us a car with the free sync and chrome 18" wheels). They didn't try to tack on options to bump up the price they were all included in the invoice price. Went out of their way to include over $1900 in incentives and got us the best financing though Chase Bank on a new car currently at 4.74% for us, not...

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shamrockbear says "Golf Mill Ford playing games slick car salesmen" about Golf Mill Ford - Niles, IL

shamrockbear — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 07:52:13 GMT

Do yourself a favor, and stay away from this dealership. I had purchased two new cars from Golf Mill Ford in the last 11 years and just went back to buy another one last week because both of those experiences were quite pleasant.

I heard from a friend they are now under new management, and boy you can tell: I had to deal with a condescending, rude sales manager who spoke to me like I was a complete idiot. I have phenomenal credit, and they offered me a mediocre APR on the small amount I was going to be financing (I was putting a large amount of cash down). I let him know I would be going to work with my bank as I knew I could get a lower rate through them, and he then informed me he had "credit vouchers" or "coupons" he would use for me to get the APR down .25%. What a joke! Everyone knows the APR you pay on loans you finance is based on your FICO score/credit score...and nothing else. It was a complete insult.

He also kept trying to sell me more basic models of the vehicle I wanted,...

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shamrockbear says "Very good food, Nice wine list pricey." about Osteria Via Stato - Chicago, IL

shamrockbear — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 19:28:55 GMT

Here are the hours: Main Dining:Dinner:M-Th: 5pm-10pm Fri-Sat: 5pm-11pmSun: 4pm-8:30pm Enoteca: Lunch:M-Sat: 11:30am-3pm Dinner: M-Thurs: 3pm-11pmFri-Sat: 3pm-12am
Sun: 4pm-9:30pm

First, the location is great if you are at a nearby hotel. Also the restaurant is attached to a hotel. If you live in Chicago, get ready to valet park or search for parking for a while. The decor is very nice; arched ceilings and lots of rustic wood. Our server was top notch. I have to say, she made it an even better experience. Wines are Italian only; you can buy it by the glass, 1/2 bottle or whole bottle. There are 2 ways to order food here; family style (which includes appetizers, and main course) and a la carte. We chose the family style for 2. I like the concept and I think the food was great. Really, just needed more of a selection of main entrees. We first got Italian olives with some oil and bread. Our appetizers were meatballs in marinara and cooked onions with baked cheese...

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shamrockbear says "Awesome fun nightlight" about Megabrite LED Night Lights

shamrockbear — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 20:36:54 GMT

They come in a six pack. The lights are just so cool they are not as bright as I would have like them but they rock and the energy savings will pay for these in a year. I believe you can get these at Costco for cheaper under $20. You can stop the color rotation and set it to one color to better accent a room by using the button on the front. Some colors are brighter than others (such as white and violet); while Red is very dark. The light intensity is always changing depending on the color; this is true but avoidable if you want to forfeit the color changing. If you want to dim a color, just click the button while the color is transitioning and it will lock in the color and brightness. Another unique feature about these LED lights is the photo sensor, which is more accurate but not instantaneous. If you are in a dark room and turn the light off, it will take a second before the night light switches on. People are always amazed by the lights and I end up pulling them out of the wall...

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shamrockbear says "Mango Splitter that rocks!" about Oxo Good Grips Mango Splitter

shamrockbear — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 20:23:37 GMT

The features are below. Great product. Effecient and easy to use, the ultimate tool for mango lovers. Not much waste. This is just such a fantastic tool I don't know what to say but you will be buying mangos all the time now. This tool is just awesome. Tip: Use a spoon to seperate the mango from the skin.. I have always loved mangos but hated trying to eat them, now I'm in mango heaven......

Product Features

Mango splitter makes the fruit no longer a chore to prepare
Slices fruit cleanly in half, leaving almost nothing behind on the seed
Single-press convenience; soft, comfortable handles provide a secure grip
Sharp, sturdy, stainless-steel blades; dishwasher-safe
Measures 5-1/4 by 6-3/4 by 2 inches; limited lifetime warranty

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shamrockbear says "Best all around casual bar in chicago" about Mother Hubbard's Sports Pub - Chicago, IL

shamrockbear — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 19:54:06 GMT

Where to start... Well Mother Hubbard's has been an institution in Chicago for a long time. First will start with the decor it just average nothing special typical wood table and large U shaped bar when you walk in. The food is fantastic for the money. It is bar none the best bar food open late in Chicago. They have fantastic food the chips and guac. are fantastic and the portions are for 2-3 people. The wings are my favorite and spicy too, they use the whole wing so they are huge and fill you up, and the pizza just fantastic and dirt cheap! They have 3 pool tables in the back if your chilling with friends. They have the worst Jukebox in the city! It just sucks the owner Jimmy who is 76 says he knows music! LOL so we always tell them to put on the XM radio satellite to get some decent music...LOL They have tons of plasmas and TV's for viewing any game you want they say they have over 100 feeds for all different sports better than espn zone and cheaper. The staff......

shamrockbear says "Run for your life and safety no joke!" about Dave and Buster's - Chicago Goldcoast - Chicago, IL

shamrockbear — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 22:22:43 GMT

First, I have to say this Dave and Buster's has to be the worst ever! I don't think they are normally like this one but, since I work in the area. We refer to it as Dave and Bust-outs. This place is so ghetto you fear for your safety for real, no lie. The police are routinely called about once every other week, I actually don't know how they stay open. They are usually fights in the place and on New years's eve 20 police cars showed up and over 100 people spilled out onto the street and started rioting. I was there! If your a family person stay away, there have been stabbings here and nothing but trouble. By the way I am the police so I have been there first hand! I actually can't believe that corporate headquarters hasn't done anything about this place. Keep your loved ones and children away from this place.... Good luck

My name is George I live, work and play in Chicago.

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shamrockbear says "Fine french food and a cute place" about Bistro Campagne - Chicago, IL

shamrockbear — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 22:09:16 GMT

I took my wife here for our anniversary because I saw a review on a local cable show called Check Please. It was as good as the review. The place is a cute little bistro on Lincoln Ave in Chicago, cozy when not busy and nice outdoor area. The staff was very nice to us and accommodating. The menu was fine french dining and the food though the portions were not very big which is typical in french dining was good. The food quality was top notch and tasted great the Chef knew what they were doing. If you are looking for a romantic special occasion I recommend this place and the food was fantastic. I would give a better description of the dishes we had but its been a while so don't want to give mis-information, I just remember us licking the plates (just joking) because it was fantastic. Overall, fantastic ambiance and fantastic french food though as with all french food portions could have been bigger..

My name is George I live, work and play in Chicago.

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shamrockbear says "Too expensive and they play games!" about Luna Carpet & Blinds - Bellwood, IL

shamrockbear — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 21:55:07 GMT

I needed some carpet for my basement. First, I went to Home Depot and they were very straight forward about pricing installation (set price) Padding (set price) carpet per sq yard (set pricing) and large selection. It came out to like $700-800 or so not a big basement about 25ft by 15ft or so... I thought well I give one of those big companies a call so I called Luna. They came out on time so that was fine then he takes out his samples which were horrible maybe 15-25 samples varied by price. He measured the room I told him I was looking for a beige type color and then he showed me his on "sale items" which was 5 carpets and it was a joke he said the cost was $2500 but for me its was half $1250 plus installation and everything it came out to $1600. What a rip off, I don't know how they are in business I think they sucker old people or lazy people who don't compare shopping! I do not recommend this place at all! boooo boooo ..... I felt like I was trying to be cheated............

shamrockbear says "Rock Bottom Prices!" about Binny's Beverage Depot Liquors - Chicago, IL

shamrockbear — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 21:41:45 GMT

Binny's has numerous locations in the Chicago-land area so look at there website for locations and times. I reviewed Sam's Wines (wide selection and okay prices). Now Binny's is the opposite (Best prices and okay selection) Binny's just has rock bottom prices! There prices in comparison to other places are just dirt cheap overall. The selection is modest not to small but not to big they carry all the major brands and have a semi-wide selection of most items you will be looking for, but if your looking to try something hard to find they may not have it. The upside is they have a really nice website so you can check there to see if they have it and can ship it to you! The cigar selection, is by far the cheapest retail cigar selection I have ever seen! Which you can purchase on-line as well! They have fantastic cigars and cheap prices. The staff is capable but not as knowledgeable as Sam's wine they know there stuff at Binny's but I think the staff turnover is high, 2 cigar guys......

shamrockbear says "Good selection big place" about Sam's Wine and Spirits - Chicago, IL

shamrockbear — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 21:25:19 GMT

First, I would like to say this is a great place if you want a wide selection of liquor at your finger tips. The staff seems to be very knowledgeable if it in there assigned area. I went to the beer section and I wanted to expand my own selection and I asked the beer guy about the varieties that were available and he was fantastic he could tell you types, regions, countries and countless other info on the subject, and it has a very wide selection which would take you a couple of years to try them all. Then I went over to Scotch malt liquor area (which I like when I smoke a cigar) once the guy who works in the area came over he went over all the varieties, prices, and differences of each type, so again wham! They knew it all! The wines are the same wide selection very knowledgeable and from Boone's farm to Eastern Australian Shiraz they have it all. My experience was quite nice my only problem is that it's not rock bottom pricing and not to many sales advertised. If you need...

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shamrockbear says "Chicago Police Department As a Job" about Chicago Police Department - Chicago, IL

shamrockbear — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 20:49:39 GMT

Well I thought I would review my employer. Where can I start there have been books written on this. First, political corruption has ruined this job. You need to understand that in every job there are jerks but you can not judge by that. This is my perspective, I have been doing this for 10 years and its becoming a dis-service to the community. When I first started we were allowed to do as they call proactive policing. That means finding criminals and arresting them before they commit crime, now they do not want that, they want you to be reactive to policing and arrest people after they commit crime. Secondly, you can not run a police department with politics. The mayor as corrupt as he should police himself, he distances himself by insulating himself by using people to take the fall for him and he states "I don't know anything" thats just silly and Chicagoans buy it? If you have a problem with a few people (bad apples) you can not hold responsible 13,000 police officers. ...

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shamrockbear says "The best Chicago Deep Dish Pizza in the world!" about Bacino's Pizza - Chicago, IL

shamrockbear — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 20:18:57 GMT

Take your choice. Thin crust, deep dish, plain cheese, spinach, or everything on it. This is the best pizza in the country. It doesn't matter what you want on your pizza, this will be the best you have ever had. In my opinion and I had lots of pizza in my life. Bacino's hands down is the pest Chicago Style Pizza in the world! I can not say enough about how good the food is almost everything here is fantastic this is not a sales pitch I really mean it. With my job I eat out a lot and this is a fantastic pizza joint. The deep dish has made people I have brought with me literally cry because it was so good and they would talk about it for days! They have 2 locations one downtown on wacker and one in Lincoln Park they also deliver so if you visiting have a pie delivered to you and you will be thanking me. The wait downtown is longer because of all the tourists but there is never a wait in Lincoln park. They are very friendly and accommodating and I have been going here for......

shamrockbear says "Amazing Deep Dish Pizza" about Uno Pizzeria Chicago - Chicago, IL

shamrockbear — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 20:01:17 GMT

If you want Chicago authentic deep dish pizza go to Pizzeria Uno. Get the house specialty that has sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, green peppers and onions. Its delicouis. The Crust is perfect with a hint of olive oil the pizza is perfect. Skip the appetizers or anything else not matter how hunger you are! There is no way you'll be able to finish a pizza. Great location. Amazing Pizza. if you try Giordano's both are good but you will preffer Pizzeria Uno. The downtown locations make better pizza even thought they have suburban locations for some reason they have it right in the downtown. The waits are really long so for 1-2 hours sometimes and the seating is tight. A must if your visiting or to take out-of town family.

My name is George I live, eat and play in Chicago.

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